A FAITHFUL servant of Treorchy Male Choir has been rewarded for his commitment to the group over the past two decades.

Norman Cox, who first joined for a brief period in 1976, received a long service membership award in celebration of his 21 years with the popular ensemble.

He hails the group as a great inspiration and help to him in the early 1980s, when he spent months recovering from a very serious car accident.

The 54-year-old from Treorchy followed in the footsteps of his older brother Stephen.

But work commitments meant Norman was forced to leave for an extended period before securing employment as project manager for the textiles technologies department at Coleg Sir Gar, Carmarthen.

Norman, who has two sons named Rhys and Marc, has been a faithful member of the first bass section.

During his broken periods of service he toured Canada, USA and Australia where he sang at the Sydney Opera House in 1986.

He has also shared the stage with the likes of Tom Jones, Harry Secombe and Leo Sayer.

But in a tragic turn of events, Norman suffered a near-fatal motorcycle accident in freezing weather in 1983.

The damage to his legs was extensive, and for four months he was treated in hospital.

Norman was interviewed about the accident by Sir Harry Secombe for a special edition of his ITV Highways show, which focused entirely on the choir.

Today, he maintains that his rehabilitation was due to the choir and the continued support of his fellow choristers, who took him to rehearsals and carried him on stage during his nine months in a wheelchair.

“I have travelled the world and made lifelong friends. That's how wonderful the Treorchy Male Choir is,” he said.